Forget me not: Too many Gardens, too little time! ....Or Exotic Kew

Hello, its been a while, i know and for that i offer my most sincerest apologies, but you see its been so exciting ive hadly had a chance to breathe never mind blog!

I said last year that i was reconnecting with my passion for Horticulture and in the last 2 years ive certainly done that. In the next few blogs ill try and catch up with some of my adventures since then, ive covered Waterperrys thoroughly in my last blog but have since visited Pat and her team once more. They are also starting an amazing project there which if you look at their website youll get the full details.

This year (in no particular order) i visited

Eythrop House to see the private gardens.
Queen elizabeth park for a tour led by Dr Philip Askew who is a Landscape Architect, Urban Designer and Horticulturalist.
Chippenham park Gardens a beautiful private house open to the public.
RHS Wisley, a fun day out involving treasure hunts and guest speakers from the industry.
Oxford university Botanical Gardens & Waterperrys both really worth visiting
Organised a tour of Hole Park Gardens for "All Horts"
Hampton Court, both as a volunteer on the Nigel Durrantt Garden build and as a visitor
Chelsea Flower Show
Party for Perrenial at Kensington rooftop Gardens
Visited How green nurseries with the PGG
Great Dixter for the spring plant fair
Kew for a behind the scenes tour of the tropical Glasshouse

Not to mention the gardens and events i attended in 2014, its really hard to decide which to tell you about first! Im also sure ive missed some out but i guess as i go through my old photos that will become apparent.
So how about i start with the most recent first?

Kew Tropical Glasshouse - 18th October 2015

Let me set the scene (imagine one of those wavy flash back things you get on tv)
Im sitting scrolling on my laptop one night in October when i saw a post my friend was tagged in, it was a behind the scenes tour of the Tropical Glasshouse at Kew.
Now i love Kew, who doesnt? and the prospect of seeing how they grow their awesome displays was just to much to resist! Before we knew it a small group of us were furiously arranging travel, meeting points, times and exchanging phone numbers.
The day came and i finished work, got changed, picked up my camera and snacks and drove down prepared to squeal repeatedly at the wonderful Orchids!

The intrepid bunch! (im behind the camera) L to R - Phil, Kitty, Andrew, Ben & Rocky

Well met, we headed to the glasshouse, playing around and ooh'ing and aah'ing on the way, poor Rockys beard once more turned into a receptacle for all things nature a fun game we all like to play. I got excited by the Ricinus in a border and Ben managed to eat something that wouldnt kill him.... thats another story.

Then we arrived! I absolutely love going through gates that state Private! Its almost a dare to me.

I think ill let some of the plants do the talking for me at this point....

But it wasnt JUST Orchids! There wese so many beautiful, rare exotic species!

but if you know me the orchids come first! So ill leave you with some more and ill just say that if you fancy taking the tour yourself keep an eye on Kews website, theyre not highly publicised but well worth it as the staff are available to give you tons of information and so friendly with it.